Looking for Transparent Rig

Ive recently began searching for a new rig. I was playing thru my headphone amp (for lack of better things to do) and i almost cried. This is when it hit me that what im looking for is a right that will accurately produce the sound of my bass. Any suggestions?

Originally posted by BassBoyLeroy I was playing thru my headphone amp (for lack of better things to do) and i almost cried. This is when it hit me that what im looking for is a right that will accurately produce the sound of my bass. Any suggestions?

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Typically when someone says this, they find happiness with either EA or Acme.

Or...just go with EA. Sadly, very few bass companies make TRULY uncolored amps...they get close and then mess it up by trying to give themselves some sort of signature sound by boosting this or cutting that..

Another vote for SWR, although I haven't had the pleasure of playing through some of the other aforementioned brands. I own a Baby Blue combo amp (I take it you're probably looking for a bigger rig), and it's the most transparent amp I've played through.

Originally posted by BassBoyLeroy Where can i find EA or Acme stuff? any links? What about SWR? I know their stuff is good but how transparent is it?

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All good advice here. EA (I use the iamp600) or a Demeter pre with a good power amp will get you a very transparent sound with flat, non-colored cabs. SWR is the next best option. See my thread on the Sr./Bass 750 combination. Munji's right, too. There's no such thing as a cheap, transparent rig.

I know what you mean. I started looking for the same thing when I began using my Line6 POD Pro. I wanted something that would reproduce what the Pod was doing without coloring the sound so much. Here is what I ended up with. SWR Triad CAB (1x15, 1x10, Foster Horn and 3 way passive crossover) This cab is designed to be a full range bass cab. I power it with either a Carvin DPC 1000 or a QSC USA 850. I played this rig this weekend and so far I'm happy

for a transparent, yet gorgeously refined tube tone, Demeter's VTBP-201s is a great choice. for an even more DI like tone, yet not as colored, its audiophile brother, the HBP-1, is another. also, has a parametric EQ that really lets you better mold your tone. but note that they are in the $650-750 range.

cab wise, for me the choice is Acme. when i first got my B2 2x10, i did a little experiment. i plugged my VTBP's DI out into my Mackie 1202VLZ mixer, and made a note of that tone. then i plugged into my Acme, and the differences were very slight, if any. i was very impressed at how flat the Acme really was.

might be apples to oranges, but i did the similar with a friend's EA 1x12, and it wasnt as much so. had a slight low mid kick for that punch. might be due to the intense network of porting that adds that signature bold EA voice. but it is definitely the closest to the DI thing, compared to my Bergantino HT112 and Aguilar GS112.

a little OT: its funny how i hear guys say its not as cutting thru a mix as their previous cab. but i think they need to remember that you cant keep the same EQ settings as one used with their previous cab. because the Acme's are so flat, they do take a bit more aggressive EQ'ing than what a person is used to, cause its not as inherently colored or goosed in any frequency range like most cabs whether low, mid, or high end. you literally need to sculp and design your tone from the ground up.

but i do have to admit, they are power hungry, and arent as efficient as my 1x12 cabs. some say at 500 watts do they open up, but IMHO, 350 gets me there pretty well.

price wise, the Acme's are a great deal, priced similarly to SWR and Mesa. also, they're handmade and Andy offers incredible personal customer service like their more higher end counterparts, yet still reasonably priced. a good bargain for sure.

now, it all boils down to what application you're using it. i do smaller gigs and dont need all that much, and my Acme 2x10 performs beautifully. with a friend's Azola Bugbass II EUB, the tones are amazing!

but, there have been a few folks in more heavier / louder contexts like rock and metal who say it just doesnt cut the mustard. but from what i've read, they're using only a pair of 2x10's against a marshall stack, which IMHO, is undergunned no matter the cab. you need a pair of 4x10's at the very least. but i havent tried Acme's 4x10, which happen to get rave reviews here as well.

you cant try Acme's in any store cause Andy only deals direct. still, Acme does offer a 2 week trial period for you to take to rehearsal, take to a gig, and see for yourself if its your cab. a win win situation.

Here is something I wanted to try but never got the chance. Mackie powered enclosure SRM 450. It has built in power amps (bi-amped) 300w on the 12 and 100w on the horn with active x-over. pair this with the pre-amp of your choice ( or ) don't even buy a pre-amp per say, use a duel 12 band EQ like an ART ($100) as your pre-amp. It will give you a truly flat send to the power-amps and all the EQing you could ever need. I know this sounds a little off the wall but, I think it might be worth a listen.

Originally posted by GreyBeard Here is something I wanted to try but never got the chance. Mackie powered enclosure SRM 450. It has built in power amps (bi-amped) 300w on the 12 and 100w on the horn with active x-over. pair this with the pre-amp of your choice ( or ) don't even buy a pre-amp per say, use a duel 12 band EQ like an ART ($100) as your pre-amp. It will give you a truly flat send to the power-amps and all the EQing you could ever need. I know this sounds a little off the wall but, I think it might be worth a listen.

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An equalizer is not a preamp. It doesn't match the impedance for your poweramp.

IMO, If you have a good bass and you want to reproduce it perfectly, you need a DI box, a mixing panel, a poweramp and HIFI pa boxes.